At present there is very little research on the caregiving needs of minority women with AIDS. In addition, there are no principles for assigning which caregiving groups are optimal for providing which services. This pilot study seeks to address both of these issues. Two formulations developed in the field of gerontological caregiving will be examined for their applicability to women infected with AIDS or HIV positive. The Hierarchical-Compensatory model suggests there is a regular order of optimal caregivers, depending on availability, as follows: spouses, kin, friends, paid help or staff of formal organizations. The type of task is not significant for choosing an optimal caregiver. The task-specific framework suggests that the optimal group varies by the type of service needed. It proposes that services can be classified by the same dimensions as groups. For instance, two dimensions that typically differentiate groups are the distance members live from each other (i.e., neighbors typically live closer than kin) and the length of commitment (i.e., kin typically have longer commitments than neighbors). Services can also be classified by the degree to which they require continuous proximity and length of commitment. Providing emergency first aid for someone who has cut an artery benefits from proximity but less so from long term commitments so neighbors have an advantage. Providing financial aid for a cash flow problem is encouraged by long term commitments but less so by physical proximity so kin generally have an advantage over neighbors. This pilot study will permit an initial examination of the alternative frameworks. The instrumentation developed in this study is a prerequisite for a larger community study. The ultimate goals are to provide clinicians with an assessment tool that enables them to quickly classify the key services women with AIDS need as well as show which groups can optimally manage them. Data will be gathered through interviews with 30 HIV positive or AIDS infected minority women drawn from the in- and out-patient AIDS clinics at Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. This state designated AIDS center has an interdisciplinary team assigned to each patient which is mandated to deal with community supports. They will also be interviewed providing a unique methodological opportunity to assess the quality of service delivery from two perspectives.